Small Steps
by bombalurima
Summary: Along with Mai and Zuko's son Kozu, Toph learns to take some small steps of her own...The Doph pairing, minor Maiko and Kataang.


_A/N: This is a little something I wrote for a friend of mine over at the KF forums (best place on the Internet.) Spruce is 'The Voice of The Way', AKA, The Doph-after a discussion about the pairing of The Duke and Toph, I felt like writing something about them. I hope you enjoy it as much as he did!_

* * *

Toph had always considered herself to be a strong person.

She could crumble the earth beneath her feet, could make it break and bow to her will, could shatter the very base on which humanity stood with just a flick of her hand-and not just that, but she had endured _emotionally_ so much in her life, she honestly did not believe there was a single weak bone in her body.

So why, why in the world, did her knees wobble, ever so slightly, every time he got near her? Why did her heart sputter, her pulse race? Sometimes her palms got sweaty too. The worst part though, the absolute worst part, was the sudden fluttery sensation in her stomach. It felt weird, and not at all welcome. It was something that, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't shake off-and that was the _real_ worst end of it.

At first, Toph honestly believed that she might have been coming down with something.

She turned the question onto Katara at first, naturally. When the Waterbender inquired as to what sort of symptoms she was having, and Toph explained them to her, the blind girl was heavily irritated to hear nothing but quiet, muffled laughter coming from the other.

"What's so funny?" Toph demanded, defensively folding her arms across her chest.

"It's...well, it's not 'funny', I suppose..." Katara was quick to amend, though she couldn't stop the smile on her face. "It's actually sweet!"

"Sweet? What's so 'sweet' about being sick?" Toph had honestly no idea what in the world Katara was talking about.

"You're not sick, Toph..." Katara shook her head. "I think you're in love!"

After the intial shock wore off, Toph gladly could have crushed her into the ground and thought nothing of it. Only the fact that Katara's upcoming wedding to Aang was approaching held her back, but she still promised the Waterbender she would break both her arms at a later date, before stomping off.

Toph came to the conclusion that Katara was simply love sick-too many happy, sappy days spent with Aang were starting to rub off on her.

Suki was in Kyoshi Island, so there was no asking her. She didn't dare bring the question to any one of her male friends. Therefore, she took her query to one of the people she now loved and respected best in the world, one she could always count on to be completely, if not brutally, honest.

"Oh Toph, you're not 'sick'..." Mai rolled her pale gold eyes skyward. Toph had found her outside in the palace's garden, holding baby Kozu. At just a few months of age, Toph was told that he already looked quite a bit like Zuko.

"That's what Katara said," Toph admitted. "She thought I was 'in love.' Can you believe that?"

"Well...actually, yes," Mai shrugged.

"WHAT? Aw Knives, not you too!" Toph groaned. Over the years, the two girls had come to form a bond-perhaps it stemmed from their similar backstories, or their uncanny habit of speaking the blunt and gritty truth. She had honestly thought that Mai would have a better answer for her.

"What?" Mai blinked, honestly taken aback. "What's so bad about being in love? It's still the best thing that's ever happened to _me."_ Kozu chose that moment to make a small squeaking noise, as if to agree with his mother's statement-after all, without that, he wouldn't have been there in the first place.

"Blech." Toph stuck her tongue out like the 12-year old girl she had once been, and still was in many ways. "Love is for..."

"Don't say wusses," Mai warned her, adjusting Kozu in her arms.

"No..." Toph shook her head. She didn't believe falling in love was for wusses or cowards-the three girls she was closest to, Katara, Suki, and Mai, were also the strongest women she had ever, or would ever, meet. Their love for a certain someone had inspired things in them, brought things to life inside of them that ordinarily, never would have been accessed. How could she say that love was for the weak?

"It's not that..." Toph sighed. "It's just...that kind of love isn't for _me."_

Mai had to smile at that-it sounded all too familiar to her.

"I thought that once too," She confessed, brushing a loose strand of black hair out of her face-she wore it down a lot more frequently now.

"But let me guess," Toph cut her off before she could say anything else. "Zuko changed how you felt about that, and you realized being in love was a wonderful thing after all, blah blah blah."

"Well, it wasn't quite that crude," Mai couldn't help but roll her eyes once more. "But yes...I suppose that's the bottom line."

"That's all fine and dandy..." Toph sighed. "But...you and Zuko were like..._made_ for each other and all that. The Duke and I..."

"How do you know you're not?" Was all Mai asked, her tone merely politely inquisitve. "Because unless you can somehow read the future, I wouldn't be putting any bets on it."

Toph opened her mouth to retort-and stopped short. She angrily snapped her mouth shut and scowled. Mai was probably the best person she knew at comebacks.

"Look..." Mai's voice grew a little softer. "It's...scary at first, this feeling. But pushing it away, or trying to hide it...believe me, that does you no good at all."

"So, what?" Toph frowned. "Are you telling me to just roll with it?"

"More or less," Mai smirked. "I need to get to know this kid...he's got to be pretty special if he's got _you_ falling for him."

"He is," Toph blurted out before she could think twice about it.

Mai glanced over just in time to see a blush arise on the younger girl's face.

* * *

A few hours later, Toph was outside playing with Kozu in the light of the setting sun. Mai had gone inside momentarily to fetch Zuko-their son had been practicing walking the whole afternoon, and she wanted him to come see.

"Looks like you and have both learned something today, Junior," Toph remarked, holding Kozu up by his little hands so he wouldn't fall.

"Toph!"

An oh-too-familiar voice came from behind her, and she nearly dropped Kozu then and there. She would have recognized that voice, those footsteps, even that heartbeat among a hundred others. Among a thousand others.

"Katara told me you were here," The Duke explained, answering her unspoken question and coming to a stop beside her.

"You were...looking for me?" Toph did her best not to trip over the words-but there it was again, that fluttering in her stomach, that increase of her pulse. The urge to shout at him to go away so she could be at peace again came to her.

"Yes," The Duke admitted, his voice turning oddly soft. That one single word brought her skittering thoughts to a halt. It reminded her of what a carress was supposed to feel like, of the shape of a sigh falling from her lips.

That one word was single-handedly the most intimate thing she had ever heard in her entire life.

She opened her mouth, unsure of just what to say...but Mai and Zuko appeared then, hand in hand, the latter's heart racing-Toph could tell right away that he was excited about something.

"How far can he walk?" The Fire Lord asked his wife, his voice quivering with barely supressed delight and anticipation.

"Not very far," Mai said, squatting down and pulling Zuko down next to her in the same position. "But wait until you see this. You can let his hands go, Toph."

The Duke looked on curiously as Toph, for just a moment, hesitated. Kozu's hands felt so little inside her own...if she let him go, wouldn't he fall? Wouldn't he get hurt?

"Let his hands go," Mai repeated. "He can make it. We're just taking small steps."

Small steps.

Toph found the will to let go.

She could feel it, just for a second-the little boy faltered, wobbling just slightly on the spot. She was about to lunge forward and snatch him back up-but then, just like that, he took a shaky step forward. After that first step, came another, and then another. Little, quaking steps.

Mai and Zuko held their breaths the entire time, the Fire Lord with his arms also outstretched. They each stayed like that until finally, their son fell over into his father's arms, and Zuko proceeded to scoop him up, showering him with kisses and cries of joy. Mai stood up a little slower, unable to help but beam.

Toph could almost feel their happiness, blanketing them and enveloping them in a cloud of sheer bliss. She could almost see it. And all because someone had dared to begin a journey, however short it was.

"Toph?" The Duke suddenly reached over and picked up her hand. It was a little rough (she didn't mind), and very warm. It felt nice. It felt _right._

"Yes?" She tilted her head in the direction of his voice.

"Would you...well, I was wondering...would you like to go for a walk with me?"

This time, Toph did not hesitate.

"Of course I would," She responded, and let him squeeze her hand and lead her off, taking small steps of her own.


End file.
